A Safe Haven
by XxCalliexX
Summary: Hermione needs hiding, Snape provides the solution!
1. Chapter 1

The pop of sound that accompanied the man apparating barely registered with even the surrounding wildlife and yet for the vampire hunting in the nearby forest it was almost as if a gun had been fired. He knew that sound even if he had only heard it once in his nearly three hundred and seventy years. It had been a rather long time since he had heard a similar noise and he knew that he would now have to keep his promise (no matter what was asked of him), and so he headed towards the man that he instinctively knew would be waiting for him.

"It is time," the dark man told him, almost as if he had known of the vampire's approach, "for you to keep your promise to me."

The blond haired doctor smiled wryly to himself before replying, "Seventy years is a long time to keep a person in suspense."

"And yet you knew the wait would be long," the silky voice drawled, "she will arrive in three days and you _will _protect her with your life - such as it is."

"She?" The doctor questioned politely.

"Yes, she!" came the irritated reply, as if he had expected the doctor to know what was going to be asked of him, "She needs a safe haven for a few years, a place to …..convalescence."

"Your asking us to give a home to a human? I'm not sure…"

"It's for the best."

"I cannot guarantee her safety in a house full of vampires."

"There were only three of you last time, and all animal drinkers…."

"There are seven of us now and our diet has not changed, however…..mistakes have….occurred," if the doctor could have blushed he would have been scarlet faced by now.

"She will have no human scent and is more than capable of vending off a few vampires. In fact I'm sure she would enjoy it, insufferable know it all that she is," the dark man finished speaking and although the words were biting the doctor could easily ascertain the affection behind them.

"If she is, as you say, capable of defending herself from vampires may I ask why she would need our protection?"

"That is not for you to know, but rather something she may divulge to you if she so chooses," the words were impatiently spoken, "will you give her refuge?"

"Of course, was there ever any doubt that I would Professor?"

"Good, as I said she will arrive in three days, I expect you to make her feel welcome, her life has not been…easy," the doctor sensed that that may have been understating the case going by the Professors expression, not that it had changed much, merely a tightening of the lips, "she needs….quiet, a time to recover and be….normal."

"And is she…"

"A witch, yes, and yet she will fit in around muggles having been raised by them. I must leave…"

"Wait, how old is she? Will she need to go to school? What about food?"

"She's seventeen, of course she needs food and if you suggest schooling I'm certain she would be delighted," came the acerbic reply before the man disappeared.

Carlisle Cullen smiled to himself as he mentally prepared to tell his family what was to come. They themselves had only arrived in Forks two days previously, the 'children' were due to start school again in just under a week. They would have to prepare a story for the arrival of yet another teenager into their family.

Apprehension filled him at the thought of his family not accepting the girl who had 'been through much' and 'not had an easy life', but his curiosity was overwhelming him more than any apprehension might as he ran towards his home.

He would finally be able to find out more about the wonders of magic, he might even be able to ask the girl questions. Her name might be a good place to start, he thought.

And maybe he could ask her what a 'muggle' was.

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><p>Just a short prologue, I am hoping to try something that hasn't been written before (although it probably has)!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews, I know I haven't replied yet but I thought you'd rather have this chapter out instead. Summer holidays are always manic in our household - the good kind though. 

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><p>As Snape strolled along the road towards Hogwarts, having just apparated into Hogsmead, he thought about the mornings dealings. Vampires! Really, was there any need to keep them still in existence? It was just as bad as allowing werewolves to teach. Of course no one ever listened to his opinion on these things and so he kept quiet - well relatively quiet, for him, a few snide comments didn't really count. And he was truthful with himself enough to admit that the vampire doctor would come in very handy in protecting one of the very few people he had come to actually give a damn about, not that he would admit that openly - after all he had a reputation to protect and that stupid Potter boy had almost ruined it when he spouted off to all and sundry about his past with Lily. It was tempting to bring the brat back from the dead if only so that he could throttle the boy himself.<p>

He sighed heavily as he approached the castle, he didn't really want the boy dead, in fact his life would be much easier if the boy were alive. But in killing _*shudder* _Voldemort he had managed to also get himself killed and no one had seen it coming. Far to many innocent people had been destroyed during the war and Snape knew it was his duty to protect one of the only good things to come out of it - Hermione.

Insufferable, nagging, interfering little girl that she was!

Never bloody left him alone any more!

Even his scowl didn't work on her.

This was what happened when you let women into your life, or so he had heard, he'd not really had much personal experience with females. Not unless you counted insane witch's who liked to kill and torture innocents. Although it could be said that all women had some ruthlessness about them.

The door slammed behind him as he finally reached the dungeons, unsurprised to find a welcoming committee.

"Severus! How did everything go? Did you manage to find a solution? Have you eaten yet?"

"Do you ever do anything except ask questions?" he drawled with one eyebrow arched high, "and its Professor Snape to you."

He watched in amusement as she huffed, brushing a strand of bushy hair from her face, "You're not my Professor any more, you're my friend and I will call you by your name."

"Insufferable," he exclaimed making his way towards the small chair nearest to the fire place, "I don't know why Minerva insists on giving you free reign to come and go as you please."

"Yes, yes, insufferable, but you like me anyway and don't pretend that you don't, as for Professor McGonagall, well I guess she felt I was doing some good," she grinned at him knowing that she was speaking the it was truth. Though their friendship seemed odd to many it was perhaps something that he could now view as inevitable. After all they were both quite intelligent (himself more so obviously), liked to read, study etc….

Adding to that the girl simply wouldn't leave him the hell alone once she had recovered him from the shrieking shack.

They were rather different too, his mind continued, Hermione was much more outgoing, bold, brash, unsubtle…

"So?" she asked him.

"You have a place to stay, not that it will be enjoyable unless you want to go to muggle school…"

"School?" she interrupted, an intrigued look over her face.

"Yes, a place of learning…"

"I know what school is!" she huffed.

"If you'd let me finish?" he asked, waiting for her to be silent before continuing, "you will be staying with a …_family_….in America,"

"Why did you say it like that?" she asked, "'_Family_'…"

"They're vampires…"

"Are you mad? I can't live with vampires! They…..they eat people!"

"I assure you, these vampires will not 'eat' you. They survive on animal blood and like to keep up the appearance of a normal human family, presumably that is why they attend school. The leader owes me a favour," he continued, "and you will be safe there, well hidden."

"America?" Hermione sighed quietly as she served the tea that the house elves had delivered. After handing Snape a cup she resumed, "it's so far away. Will you be there too?"

"No, Draco and I will be heading for a different location for a few years until this ridiculous law is repealed. I have no wish to be saddled with an unknown wife to appease the ministry."

"And I have no wish to be saddled with Lucius Malfoy. Why won't they leave us alone? After everything that…."

"Because, they need to make themselves look better, although how marrying you to one of the most depraved Death Eaters is 'for the good of the magical community' I will never know. The only way to avoid it is to disappear entirely," he sighed. He knew how she felt, but this was for the best. He himself had no desire to leave the only home he had ever known but he was long past the desire to serve anyone, even if it was just marriage.

"Won't they be able to find me even there?"

"Not if we go about it in the right way," he told her, "you, of course, are their biggest priority for the time being and they will not let you go without a fight, but with the right precautions…."

"And what precautions might they be?" Hermione asked wearily, wondering what was going to be expected of her now.

"Travelling the muggle way, a permanent disguise, no contact with anyone for at least two years…"

She sighed heavily again knowing that there was no point in arguing.

"I've made all the necessary arrangements for you including a potion," he trailed off unsure as to how she would take that bit of news and waited for the explosion that was sure to come.

"Potion? Why do I have to take a potion?"

"To disguise you of course and before you ask, no I do not mean polyjuice," he wearily ran a hand over his face, knowing that it would take a lot of convincing to get her to take the potion, "it has to be something permanent, something that will not be able to be lifted by anyone. I've already told you about the lengths a 'person' will go to in order to find someone, even with you travelling the muggle way you will be watched, they will not let you leave the country easily."

"You want me to….permanently change my looks?" she asked quietly already knowing the answer.

"Your hair is very distinctive, it's a small thing really, witches are known to change their hair all the time…"

"What else aren't you telling me?" she whispered.

"You are being looked for already, I would be surprised if someone doesn't announce themselves here shortly," he stated with honesty, however he had not revealed the full truth to her, he really couldn't believe that she had accepted the asinine marriage law as a proper excuse for going into hiding "once we get you to safety you will not contact anyone you know for at least two years, and yes I include myself in that."

"But…."

"Two years Hermione, it is for your protection and I'm sure the time will pass quickly," he hurriedly continued, "After that time you may try to ascertain whether the law has been repealed."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"There is a magical community not to far away from where you will be staying, newspapers shouldn't be that difficult to get hold of."

"Will you find me? In two years I mean?"

Snape sighed heavily, the last few weeks were beginning to take a toll on him more so than the past twenty years, at least then he had thought he was going to die at the end of it and would be able to rest for eternity. It seemed that living was much more difficult than dying, "I make no promises Hermione, you must now live out your life as best you can, try to make the most of it and be…normal for a while. You missed your childhood, why not try to enjoy some of it now."

"No one will understand me like you do," she said quietly.

He was not one for affection and even at this he did not break but merely stated, "And no one will allow you to move on quite like a stranger."

The evening passed in relative harmony from there on. They discussed mundane things, both knowing that they would not be seeing each other for quite some time, if at all. Both also knowing that even though they would be in hiding their lives would still be in danger, Hermione's more so even if she was not fully aware of the situation. Severus hoped he'd be able to solve the problem before the two years were over, he had no intentions of going into hiding himself, he merely needed to know she was safe whilst he prevented, or rather killed, the person most bent on destroying her.

It was not until the next day that plans were finalised, Hermione readily agreed to take the potion that would disguise her human scent (the thought of smelling tantalising to seven vampires she would be living with made her gulp it down quickly) and reluctantly drank the permanent disguising potion.

"What will I look like?" she asked just before she swallowed.

"Like you, but with better hair and a slightly different eye colour," he smirked, "which can only be to your advantage, that mop should have been changed long ago."

"Hey! I happen to like my hair, thank you very much!"

She let out a startled squeak as she glanced in the mirror noticing the flaming red hair that now fell in curls to her waist, and eyes that were almost as black as his, "What the hell?"

"I thought it fitting that you have Weasley hair seeing as you are already an honorary member of that illustrious family," he sneered, although a small hint of a smile could be found in his eyes (if you looked very carefully).

It truly was amazing how a simple change of hair and eye colour could change a persons appearance even though the facial features stayed the same, he thought to himself.

"This is really real isn't it?"

"That sentence didn't even sound grammatically correct, let alone make any sense," he drawled, "and of course it's real, but you've dealt with much worse than simply going into hiding. Think of all the new things you get to learn at that muggle school, that should keep you happy for quite some time."

"Your such a….a…."

"Bastard? Bat? Git?" he finished for her.

"Ugh! You make me so mad sometimes, you should think yourself lucky I like you or I would hex you into next week," she spoke indignantly.

A small chuckle escaped him at her outburst, "That could prove rather interesting, on a different note all your things should be packed and ready to go at a moments notice, if you look on my desk you will find two locations written down. The first is where you will be living and the second is the location of the small magical community, I suggest you memorise them as I will be destroying all evidence of your potential whereabouts."

He heard her muttering as she went to find said items but chose to ignore her mumblings, it was for her own good after all and one day she would thank him - maybe.

"When do you and Draco leave?" she suddenly blurted out, biting her lip worriedly.

He glanced up at her briefly, "Soon after you have left I should imagine."

She glanced up at him one last time from the doorway, "What kind of favour did you do for the…..vampire?" she asked.

He paused for a moment, it was not something he really wanted to hide from her, but rather that it would lead to all sorts of other questions that he didn't want to have to deal with for the moment, "That's a story for another time, it's rather long and a simple explanation will never suffice for you," he finished with a knowing look.

Silence filled the room as he watched her leave, her shoulders hunching dejectedly and he reminded himself that it was better for her to be safe and dejected than in the hands of Malfoy Sr, or worse. He should have been unsurprised when moments later she ran into the room and gave him a quick hug, whispering 'bye' as she left once more. But in truth any small amount of physical contact, or to be correct any friendly physical contact was always a surprise to him. It had taken him weeks to get used to her friendly embraces, but she seemed to know instinctively that he could only tolerate a certain amount of affection before he retreated behind his carefully cultivated mask of indifference.

He had prepared everything as best he could for her future safety, in a world that was still recovering from the loss of so many great wizards it was perhaps inevitable that the Ministry was at a loss as to how to move forward. They never had been able to do anything properly in the first place, let alone now. She would be safe from them and Lucius, if only he could now put his plan into practice. The vampire had no idea just how useful he was going to make himself to Snape.


	3. Chapter 3

Ok, so I know I may have stated in some of my review replies that this chapter would have the Cullen's POV, but I was having trouble tweaking it a bit and this chapter was already written. So this is for all my lovely reviewers as I hate keeping you waiting any longer. This was origially chapter 4 but it works just as well for chapter 3 I think. 

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><p>For Hermione Granger the past thirty six hours had been a severe lesson in patience. Not that it had been lacking in any particular manner beforehand but Severus Snape knew how to keep a person in suspense. This was her future after all. She trusted him to do his best for her as he always had done, even more so since they had become friends but still - sending her to hide with vampire's?<p>

However much she may trust him she still had reservations about what she was about to commit herself to. And all over the Ministry's inane notion that all witch's and wizard's needed to marry to ensure the survival of the magical world? It didn't make any sense to her why Severus had been so insistent that she hide herself away for so long over this. There had to be more to it and she was determined to find out the truth, if there was one thing she was good at it was discovering all those small details that others often overlooked. Her logical mind would not allow the matter to rest but for the time being she knew she should be concentrating on getting out of the country safely.

Luckily for Hermione her small beaded bag that she had filled with items for their year on the run was still mostly intact, the books were still neatly stacked from the last time she had sorted through them, potions ingredients were kept safely along with her small cauldron and a few made up potions for emergencies and (most importantly) the recent photos of her friends had been added. She spent some time removing her robes and replacing them with muggle clothing, although really there was little difference between them as she had grown very accustomed to robes and now preferred long skirts and clothes that flowed when she walked - not billowed, she giggled a little as she thought of Severus.

Quickly finishing her packing she wrote small letters to each of her friends, Luna and Neville before deciding to leave one for Ron (it was possible that he would wake up whilst she was gone). Poor Ron, she sighed as she continued to dress and prepare for leaving the country, it really was heartbreaking to see him so still and lifeless and yet to know that he was aware to some degree that people were around him. Still, he had a very large family to visit him and even if he woke up she was certain that he would tell her to stop bloody reading to him (unless it was about the Chudley Cannons).

Glancing in the mirror she once again flinched away from her image, still unused to her new hair and eye colour, this all seemed far to excessive to Hermione who would be leaving the country by muggle transportation. Why would the Ministry be looking for her there? Or any witch's for that matter.

She admitted that the hair looked good on her, but she missed her uncontrollable brown curls. It was also disconcerting to see eyes similar to Severus' looking back at her - but maybe then she would feel like she had taken a small part of him with her. Perhaps that was why he had chosen this particular colour, she smiled wryly at the odd notion that Professor Snape could oft times be sentimental, even if he showed it in the slyest of ways (not that she would ever mention that to him).

With one last mournful look around her small flat she locked the door behind her, setting various wards before climbing into the waiting taxi. It was a relatively short drive and after paying the driver she quickly entered the busy airport trying to spot which terminal she needed, that was when she felt it. A spark of magic that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, her every instinct for danger going on high alert. Standing very still she glanced around slowly wondering who would be using magic in such a place and that was when she saw just why Severus was so adamant that she go into hiding.

She walked quickly to the left heading towards the nearest store to hide out and consider her options. Thank goodness she hadn't been spotted through the throng of passers by. For once Hermione was grateful for the large crowds that would help disguise her presence somewhat.

Picking up a magazine from the rack in front of her she pretended to read it whilst keeping an eye on Dolohov from the store window. How had he known she would travel this way? And now what was she supposed to do?

Dolohov was glancing towards what appeared to be nothing but on closer inspection Hermione noted that there was a small shimmer of magic, like those of wards, surrounding the terminals. Using her instincts she would have to say that she thought it was a revealing charm, almost similar to that of the waterfall in Gringott's that washed away all enchantments. Having no fear that her hair and eye colour would change thanks to the potions she had taken she now only had the worry of getting her bag through the wards. Would the enchantments on her little bag hold?

She felt that it was best not to chance it.

Pulling her wand out of her bag she placed it in the holster on her arm, underneath her top, making sure it was hidden. Grabbing her passport and tickets she closed the bag and looked for a way to get it through the wards. As she glanced around she noticed an unknown witch approach Dolohov and begin a hurried whispered conversation, was it worth the risk to find out what they were saying?

Hermione decided that she needed any information she could gain her hands on and quickly left the shop, hurrying closer towards her enemy but making sure to avoid the ward. Observing the area thoroughly she quickly darted into a near by phone booth, picking up the receiver she cast a quick charm on it to enhance the conversation that was taking place nearby, her heart pounding frantically the whole time.

"I told you, she's not here," the witch whispered hurriedly.

"She will be," came the reply, "what other way would a mudblood travel, probably doesn't even know how to apparate. Not that she could without us finding out about it."

"The charms should work," the with continued, "if she's using polyjuice we'll know, all will be revealed."

"Imbecile, what about other magic?" came the growled response, "She's supposedly quite clever for a mudblood."

"Just potions magic will be revealed, I thought that was what you wanted."

Hermione breathed a quiet sigh of relief that her bag would hold through the present wards that had been placed.

"Go and change it! She might have magical items with her. You have ten minutes to do so before I make you regret it," Dolohov sneered, "and if she has already passed through because of your stupidity I can assure you, you won't live to regret it."

Hermione took her chances and walked quickly to the other side, making sure to stay behind as many people as possible before holding her breath and walking through the wards. Quickly noting that nothing had happened to her bag she walked briskly to the right terminal and checked in. Her flight left in just over two hours, boarding would not be for a little while yet.

This was where she debated with herself. Should she try and find out more or should she be grateful that she had gone thus far without being observed?

Deciding that she had most likely used up all her luck today she walked further away from the enemy, although she wouldn't feel entirely comfortable until she was on her flight and headed away from England.

It was not long before this became a reality and she spent most of the flight contemplating why Dolohov was looking for her, and she was certain that it was her he was searching for even though her name hadn't been mentioned. She felt that he wouldn't go to such lengths just to kill her when he would know that the entire auror department would be looking for him. There had to be some reason!

She went back over all her past interactions with him, starting with the first time she had been cursed by him in the Department of Mysteries. Madam Pomfrey had not known what curse had been used on her and had only been able to make an educated guess as to how to heal her, she still had a small scar on her chest from it. She had overheard Dumbledore say something about magical draining, but as she had turned out to have full magical abilities after she had healed she had heard no more about it, but that wouldn't have affected Dolohov.

She remembered a few moments fighting with him in the final battle, she had taken no notice of the words that he had heaped on her at the time as it seemed every other word was 'mud blood'.

It was strange to her how Severus had known she was being hunted, what else did he know? She would bet all her galleons that he was aware of the why's and wherefore's.

It shocked her when the announcement came that their flight was almost over, had she been so focused on this that she had not noticed the hours wiling away?

Sighing heavily she mentally prepared herself for facing several vampire's. Keeping her wand at the ready she exited the plane and made her way towards the exit, a slight feeling of freedom overcame her as she realised that she had made it to America with few problems and maybe now she could actually have some semblance of a normal life.

Sighing happily she focused on Severus' instructions, really the man was to paranoid at times making her memorise things rather than simply writing them down, replaying them over in her mind.

"Once you reach America you should be able to apparate directly to the forest just beyond the vampire's house," he had told her, "use leglimen's on me and concentrate on the image I'm about to show you."

Hermione had been very reluctant at the time to invade his privacy like that but in the end she had only seen the image of trees and so didn't feel to bad about it. Finding a secluded area Hermione focused on the image of the forest and disappeared.

It appeared that she had done it correctly for all she could see were trees and more trees, really this was probably the worst place to get lost.

"Once there it is very simply a matter of using your instincts to guide you, however, failing that use a locater charm for a Carlisle Cullen," the words echoed throughout her mind. She pulled out her wand and held it flat on her hand whispering the words that would point her in the right direction, regretting her decision to wear a long skirt and gypsy sandals through a forest. She walked for about thirty minutes before finding a large house hidden among the trees, a gasp of delight leaving her lips as she gazed at the magnificent home before her. Was this to be her home for the next two years? Using a quick scourgify charm she cleaned herself up before knocking on the door hiding her wand but keeping it within easy access, just in case.


	4. Chapter 4

I am so sorry this has taken me so long to post, however I have some free time over the next few days and so will try to have another chapter posted this week. Huge thanks to everyone reading and reviewing this story :) 

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><p>Carlisle Cullen sighed loudly as he sat in his favourite room in their home in Forks Washington, his study was a relatively private place despite the unfortunate circumstances that led his family to have very little privacy. Although it was possible to respect each others requirement for solitude that did not necessarily mean that it was an easy thing to give. Enhanced hearing and other senses ensured that. But the situation he now found himself in necessitated the need for a few moments of private thought before he confronted his family with the news that a witch would be living with them for at least a few years and that she would need protection. It even sounded absurd in his mind. A witch. Living with vampire's.<p>

Of course Carlisle had known about the magical world for quite some years due to the situation surrounding Edward's return to the family, but that did not make it any easier to comprehend. It still managed to amaze him how little he truly knew about the world despite the amount of years he had spent travelling and learning.

If there was one thing that did confuse him though it would be that Edward had not been able to read Carlisle's mind when he thought about those times when he had encountered the Professor. And he knew he had thought about it in his presence despite trying his hardest not to. Perhaps that was more magic at work.

A small fissure of excitement shot through him at the thought of being able to ask this young girl questions about her world, would she even be willing to talk about it? Perhaps he could offer an exchange of information, answers about his world for the same in return. It would be a fantastic opportunity for the whole family but there was the worry that they were not going to take it very well. He could already picture the protestations from Rosalie and Jasper especially. Uncertainty swept through him, perhaps this was not the best idea, for a human to be living with them, with all that temptation and fresh blood from inevitable accidents. But he really did not have a choice, he knew he owed a debt of gratitude that could never be repaid and all he had been asked of was to shelter a young girl in danger.

Resigning himself to a difficult evening he moved to the family dining room where his family could be heard gathering, Alice must have already told them that he needed a family meeting.

"Carlisle," his wife smiled at him gently as he moved to place a small kiss on her cheek, "Alice believes you have important news for us."

"I most certainly do," he replied even as his family took their usual seats around the dining room table whenever meetings were called. He could read the impatience running across their faces, their curiosity that even Alice held was apparent.

"A rather long time ago I met an unusual person that rendered me a great service, in fact he really helped the whole family although I am aware that this has been a great secret,"

"How is it that there are secrets in this house?" Jasper questioned and quite rightly so, secrets were unheard of when you lived with a mind reader, empath and a seer.

"Please hold questions until the end," Carlisle continued, "it's a rather long story that is quite fantastical. The man that….helped was no ordinary human but a wizard.."

"No way!" Emmett yelled, "come on Carlisle, you can't expect us to believe that."

"I assure you it is true, and one of the things that he managed to do was block some of my thoughts from Edward, as I _know_ I have thought about him in Edward's presence. I am also unable to speak about how he helped, the words just do not seem to come out when I try," Carlisle frowned slightly wondering, even to this day how it had been possible.

"Are you saying I cannot always read you?" Edward asked, to which Carlisle merely nodded in the affirmative.

"Are you really being honest here Carlisle?" Edward continued.

"I'm not one to lie Edward! I assure you I speak the truth."

"Why are you telling us this now?" Jasper frowned, confusion and curiosity written quite clearly on his face.

"Because it is time for me to repay a debt of honour and it is going to affect the entire family," Carlisle continued, "he arrived again this morning, looking not a day older than the last time I had seen him and has asked, or rather told me, of how it is I can return this debt. A young English witch is apparently in grave danger and is in need of our protection."

"A witch? How do we protect her? Do we need to travel?" Alice asked quickly, "I can't see her."

"No, no she will be coming here."

"For years?" Edward asked, having read it in Carlisle's mind, shock running through him, "you want a human to live with us?"

The chorus of outraged cries rang through the room as Carlisle tried to make sense of what each was saying, but it was impossible to distinguish any one persons spoken words.

"Enough!" he yelled loudly, "I understand that this has come as a shock to you all, but I really have no choice in the matter. However you do. Our family has often spent a few years apart from each other and can easily do so once again."

He went silent as he watched each of his children's faces, lastly resting his gaze upon his wife, "I'm with you Carlisle no matter what may come," she told him quietly, squeezing his hand in reassurance. He had known of course that he would have his wife's full support but relief still flooded through him at her confirmation and he smiled widely towards her.

"I'm not missing this," Emmett grinned, "this is gonna be so cool, can she do magic - real magic? I wonder if she'll help me with some pranks?"

Rosalie slapped him around the head, "You idiot! How do you think you will cope having constant temptation living with us? What if someone slips up? I refuse to be a part of this," and so saying she stormed out of the room. It was not entirely unexpected to Carlisle.

"Don't worry I'll talk to her," Emmett said, moving to follow his wife, "there's no way we're leaving."

"Carlisle," Jasper spoke quietly, "I don't think it would be wise for me to live with a human." Jasper was the newest to their way of life and therefore found it much more difficult around humans.

"I did express my concerns to the professor," Carlisle spoke equally as quietly, "however he assured me that the young girl would provide no temptation owing to a potion of some kind. I won't really know much more until she arrives, which will be in a few days time."

"Is that really possible?" Jasper questioned, not really expecting an answer.

"I think that Jazzy and I will stay at least until she arrives, then we will make a decision," Alice said softly, grabbing Jaspers hand and walking away.

"Edward?"

"You can't tell me something that relates to myself?" Edward asked

._It is not for lack of trying Edward. It is simply the magic that restricts me. _Carlisle thought, _A few years ago I even tried to write it down, but all that was written when I had finished was a lot of nonsense._

"Would this girl know the truth?" Edward asked.

"I have no idea, but it is a possibility."

"In that case I believe I too will be staying in Forks." _Thank you Edward_. With a small nod towards Esme, Edward quickly left through the door and made his way upstairs.

"Carlisle?" Esme spoke quietly, "are you certain you cannot say anything more?"

"Positive," he replied, "and I thank you greatly for always being so understanding despite the odd circumstances that we find ourselves in," he smiled ruefully.

"You are where I belong. Now I believe I have a human to prepare for, can you believe that this time we will actually need to buy food rather than just for show. Oh and we must prepare the spare room for her, especially if she is to be a guest for some time. What about school? Do you know how old she is?" Esme asked her succession of questions quickly with an ever increasing smile on her face.

"I believe she is seventeen, and I have been told that she would like schooling," a small frown appeared on his face as he noticed an unusual sight from the window. An owl was hovering just outside with what appeared to be a piece of paper, "I don't suppose…..no…..is that…?"

He stood quickly and opened the window, watching avidly as the owl flew in and dropped a letter on the table before flying off again.

"Carlisle is that….a letter? From an owl?"

"It would appear so my dear," he replied, watching in wonder as the letter rose from the table and started speaking,

_Dr Cullen_, came the smooth voice of the professor, by which point all of the family had rushed into the dining room in shock, _it has been brought to my attention that you may need a little more detail on the insufferable, SEVERUS! _The voice had turned distinctly female_, my apologies_, the deeper voice continued, _on the young lady that will be residing with you. As I had stated she is quite thrilled at being offered a chance to attend a muggle school and has assured me that she can cook her own meals, she is also potty trained. Severus! _Came the female voice once again, _go and sit down I will finish the letter, NOW! Sorry,_ she continued, _he really is friendly I promise_ (a snort could be heard at this point) _I'm quite looking forward to meeting you all and I hope not to be to much of an imposition on you all, I grew up with muggles you know and will be quite at home amongst them. Severus is brewing a potion that will render my um…blood without scent, he's quite good at brewing, did you know he… HERMIONE! _(again the voice turned deeper at this exclamation_) oops sorry, our plans have changed somewhat and I should be arriving almost as soon as you have heard this, I'm deeply sorry if this inconveniences you, but needs must. I thank you again for offering to take me in, Yours sincerely Hermione Granger."_

Did that really just happen?" Jasper exclaimed in shock. It was a look that was shown on all the faces surrounding the now quiet letter, even as there was a distinct knock at the door and a small voice could be heard muttering, "Really Hermione, it will be fine, you can do this, its just vampire's. A lot of vampire's, who like to drink blood….just breath."


	5. Chapter 5

**I know, I suck at updating! To tell the truth I had almost completely given up on this story but the reviews just kept coming and so this is for all of you that have asked for an update despite it being months since the last one!**

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><p>Hermione Granger was waiting rather nervously for some sign of life all the while muttering under her breath about the vampire's she was about to spend the better part of the next few years with. With a deep sigh she quickly cast a protection spell around herself as well as simple cleaning spell, after all sandals were not really forest attire and she had no wish to leave the impression that she was anything other than what she was. She was a powerful, well brought up witch, with manners!<p>

Why did they keep her waiting?

Nerves once again wracked through her and though she was certain that she really hadn't been waiting for more than a few minutes those passed very slowly.

She once again reminded herself that there really was nothing to be nervous of considering the fact that she could defend herself and surely Severus would not truly send her into a dangerous situation? Then again that might just be what he would do if he felt it was the best way. She knew that there was something more to this hiding away than a marriage law, the debacle at the airport had assured her of that. But was there really anything that she could do from half a world away? Severus obviously felt that she couldn't deal with the situation and a small burst of anger filled her at that thought. Hadn't she helped defeat the most evil wizard of all time? Surely a few Death Eaters couldn't be worse?

She glanced up at the building before her thinking how modern the house looked compared to the home she had been used to since the age of eleven. It would be quite a change to live in such a muggle building for more than a few weeks at a time, her summers with her parents had always been cut short what with staying at the Burrow and Grimmauld Place. Perhaps this would help her get back to her roots a little and there was the added bonus that even though her parents were no longer with her they would be proud of the fact that she had returned to 'normal' school.

It was at this point in her thoughts that the door was opened by what Hermione could only describe as a Greek sculpture come to life, the man (or rather vampire) was smiling widely and if she didn't know better she would have thought that from the sparkle in his eye he was related to Professor Dumbledore. His white blond hair fell across his forehead but did not cover the amazing golden eyes staring at her.

"You must be Hermione Granger," he spoke welcomingly, "my name is Carlisle Cullen and it is an honour to welcome you into our home."

Well, she thought, if the entire family was similar to this man then she might very well enjoy staying here, "Thank you so much for agreeing to take me in, and you're correct I am indeed Hermione, I hope you managed to receive my letter? We were unsure whether the owl would approach a… well a …you know," she concluded quietly, reaching forward to shake his hand, "may I enquire about the colour of your eyes? I had read in 'Vampire's, misunderstood or malicious' that all vampire's possessed red eyes without the help of muggle contact lenses, but even with lenses surely they would not be such a light golden shade?"

Carlisle smiled widely as he answered, pleased that she had shown an interest in who he was and wondering how she had managed to find a book written about his kind, "It's actually a side effect of our particular diet and we did receive a letter, thank you, it was…certainly a unique experience."

Hermione returned his smile and had the sudden feeling that here was a kindred spirit.

"Carlisle," a female voice called out, "do let the poor girl in I'm sure she would like some refreshment after her long journey."

"Please," Carlisle continued, "come through to the kitchen and meet the rest of the family."

Hermione followed shyly, she had never felt entirely comfortable greeting new people, making friends had always been rather difficult for her being slightly….bookish and quiet. Grateful as she was to have made such good friends during her years at Hogwarts she was well aware that it had not been easy at first to do so.

She glanced around as she followed Carlisle Cullen through the house noting the beautiful décor and large open look of the house due to the floor to ceiling windows. Slowing her gait she paused at the door as she spied the rest of the family peering at her in confusion. Had they not been notified of her coming?

"Hermione," a beautiful vampire with caramel coloured hair moved forward with one hand stretched out, "I'm Esme, Carlisle's wife and we hope you will feel right at home here. Such a pretty girl," she added in almost a sad whisper before continuing, "I confess I'm very much looking forward to being able to have a legitimate reason for using this kitchen.

"Esme reminded Hermione of Mrs Weasley in her motherly nature, if not her looks, for Esme Cullen looked far to young to be anyone's mother, however there was a sense of motherly affection that seemed to surround her.

"I hope you will allow me to help," Hermione smiled, "its been a long time since I used muggle appliances."

"Muggle?" a huge male asked, Hermione would have been more intimidated if she knew she couldn't defend herself.

"A non magical being or in this case appliance," Hermione answered quickly, "it took me quite a long time to get used to all the new terms that were brought into my life when I discovered my magical abilities, of course Hogwarts soon acclimated me to my new world. They're rather good at that," she laughed nervously, it was one of her more nervous traits along with talking far to much.

"I'm Emmett by the way, the good looking one," he grinned widely, immediately making Hermione feel even more welcome, though leaving her with a strange feeling that Fred and George were with her.

"That's debateable," answered a different blond vampire, "Jasper," he nodded towards her and Hermione noted a hard look in his eye making her believe he probably had been through something traumatic in his past, she sensed he was accustomed to evil in all its forms.

"Rosalie," a stunning blond woman nodded, Hermione would have been much more in awe of her had she not met Fleur Weasley, Hermione smiled slightly towards her before breaking out in a gasp as she was suddenly hugged in cold, vice like arms which almost immediately sprung away from her.

"I'm Alice," the pixie like, dark haired vampire gasped in shock.

"Bloody hell, I'm so sorry," Hermione cried out, "I completely forgot, hang on a moment," and so saying she removed the protection charm from herself, "it wasn't anything personal but the last few years have been quite…um…difficult you know, especially for a muggle born like me and an all over protection could never truly hurt you. It was just…..well there were death eaters at the airport and then I had to wonder if they knew where I was going to be hiding and…."

"Breath, Hermione," Jasper twitched his lip in amusement, "its understandable that you would feel the need for protection when entering a house of vampires."

"Thank you," Hermione sighed with relief, "and it's nice to meet you Alice."

"You too, I can tell we're going to be great friends," Alice spoke happily, "but I'm going to go now and get your room ready. Coming Jazz?" Alice then turned and spoke to Carlisle, "We'll be staying."

"Staying?" Hermione whispered to herself.

"Yes," came another voice from behind Hermione, "the family has been undecided about staying in the same house as a ….human."

"This is Edward, my son," Esme introduced the boy with bronze hair.

Hermione again smiled slightly although inside she couldn't help but feel that she knew him from somewhere, "Is it because of my scent? Severus assured me that the potion would reduce it considerably, but of course the was no guarantee that the Doxie wings would actually work as it was an untested potion. For myself I can smell no difference."

"Severus?" Carlisle frowned, "is that the dark professor?"

Hermione suddenly interrupted into peals of laughter, "Is that what you call him? I suppose it is an apt description. Do you know I once tried to get him to wear blue, a very dark blue mind you, and he completely shot me down."

"I can't say I'm surprised by that, to be honest the thought of him being…..friendly is quite difficult to comprehend," Carlisle laughed lightly, "and it appears as if the potion is a success as you truly have no scent at all, it's remarkable."

"Severus is not easy to get to know," Hermione frowned thoughtfully, "although he is very loyal. I'm afraid his past has left him disappointed in mankind and so he wears a mask of indifference almost permanently."

"I confess I don't know him well at all but the idea that he is friends with a young girl seems unbelievable."

Hermione laughed lightly, "I'll have you know it took a lot of nagging on my part for our friendship to form."

"Um, question, who is Severus?" Emmett asked.

"That would be the wizard I owe an enormous debt to," Carlisle answered, "however I have only just learnt his name."

"He's a Potions Professor at Hogwarts, not very well liked I'm afraid, but ingenious, cunning and shrewd. I'm afraid nothing gets past him," Hermione added.

"Would you happen to know what occurred to render Carlisle in his debt?" Edward asked quietly, frustration evident on his face.

Hermione took the time to focus on him more now that he had asked her a question and noted how very young he looked, how very familiar too. She knew that logically she had never seen him before but the feeling would not leave her. There was no denying that he was beautiful as were all vampires and she had the saddening thought that he had probably been changed at a far to young age.

"I'm sorry, but no," she answered truthfully watching as his face fell.

"I can't hear it in Carlisle's thoughts," Edward continued, "which Carlisle believes it to be hidden with magic."

_Hear it in his thoughts? _That was something she would have to think about later.

"This is not something I'm qualified to deal with. Messing with peoples memories is dangerous," tears welled in her eyes as she thought of her parents and how they would never know they had a daughter. Even Severus had been unable to reverse the spell she had cast on them.

"I think it's time we got you settled in your room dear," Esme spoke softly, gently placing an arm around Hermione's shoulders and leading her from the room, "we've given you the spare room next to Edward's as it was the largest one available, unfortunately we haven't had time to order you a bed so Alice is bringing up a sofa from the living room."

"I'm sorry if I've inconvenienced you…" Hermione started.

"Don't worry about that," Esme brushed off, "we just want you to feel welcome."

"Thank you," she whispered as she was shown into a large but plain room. There were floor to ceiling windows lining one wall, all the walls were plain cream coloured with pine wood skirting boards. Esme pointed out a door to one side that led to her own bathroom which was for her use only as no one else residing here really needed it. A dark blue sofa sat along one wall with built in wardrobes covering the opposite side.

"You feel free to make this room your own," she was told, "do you have luggage arriving?"

Hermione shook her head and pointed to her small bag, "everything is in here. Do you mind if I change the sofa with magic?"

Esme's eyes widened, "of course not, but would you mind if I watched?"

"Not at all," She withdrew her wand from her sleeve and quickly transfigured the sofa into a large bed complete with duvet covers and pillows.

Esme clapped her hands excitedly, "wonderful," she smiled happily, "and you say everything that you need is in that bag?"

It was quite some time later that Hermione was left to her own devices after having shown Esme Cullen the wonders of her little bag and she couldn't help but feel a grateful for the time alone. Everyone had made her feel welcome but there was an air of worry that surrounded them, no doubt they were just as concerned about her staying with them as she was in return. It was not entirely impossible that most of them had never met a witch or seen magic.

She flopped heavily back onto the bed, the tears that she hadn't allowed herself to fall earlier flowing down her cheeks silently. She had lost everything. Her parents no longer knew her, one of her best friends was in a magical coma and Harry….he was gone.

She now had to face the fact that she would not see any of her fellow war survivors for several years, there would be no more late night floo calls with Luna, no more snarky conversations with Severus, no more teasing Draco…

A heavy sigh escaped her and she angrily brushed the tears away. She was relatively safe, had a lovely home to stay in and would be able to catch up on muggle schooling. This was no time to start feeling sorry for herself. Standing abruptly she decided that now was the time to unpack, after all this would be her room for quite some time and so thinking she started to pull items from her bag. She placed a light ward around her room allowing her to use magic without it interfering to much with the muggle electronics that this home was sure to have. Her clothes were easily enlarged and a quick spell ensured that they would be hung up neatly, moving on she pulled out her book case once again enlarging it and moving it towards the wall with her wand.

A short while later the room was unrecognisable as pictures of her friends and family were placed around the room (the magical ones waving happily at her), all her books were neatly put away (in alphabetical order) and her potions kit was set up along with her cauldron on a small table in the corner. The room soon filled with items to make her feel more at home, the Nargle catcher which Luna had made her floated above her bed, various magical plants were placed in front of the windows (all of them needed in potions) and her favourite item she placed beside her bed where she would be able to see it every morning. The small clock was almost a replica of the one the Weasley's kept in their home except this one had her friends on. Severus had given it to her after the trip to her parents so that she would at least know how they were doing even if she could not be with them. There were also hands for Severus, Ron, Luna, Neville and Draco. Currently her parents were pointing to 'home', Ron's had not changed from 'sleeping' since the beginning.

"Oh no," she whispered as she noted three of the hands pointing to 'mortal peril'. Her own was understandable due to the vampire's below, but surely Severus and Draco should be safe? What on earth were they up to? Now she knew for certain that this was more than just a marriage law escape, but how could she discover anything from here?

The truth was that she couldn't, unless she could find the magical community nearby. It was another thing to add to her 'to do' list. Along with finding out what she was supposed to learn for school of course. As her list became longer she found her mind wondering again back to the hands of the clock, what were those two doing? Her frustration grew as she knew she would not be able to find out.

"WHY CARLISLE?" the sudden shout came startling her out of her thoughts, grabbing her wand she made her way back down the stairs.

"You think this is wise?" the voice continued, "keeping a human in this house? You gave us almost no notice and we're expected to just be okay with it?"

Hermione recognised the voice as belonging to Rosalie, "I don't want her here!"

"This is not a choice you have Rosalie, if you're unhappy with the situation I suggest you go off with Emmett for a couple of years," Carlisle answered. Not wanting to be caught eavesdropping Hermione made her presence known.

"I can leave if I'm an inconvenience?" she stated stiffly.

"Oh, Dear of course you're not, I for one am looking forward to getting to know all about your world," Esme smiled.

"Don't worry about Rosalie, she's always like this," Alice insisted.

"Yes, because this is such a normal thing!" Rosalie fumed, "what if she gets hurt? What if she bleeds? What will happen to us if someone has an accident?"

"I'm more than capable of looking after myself," Hermione said, "and if I should happen to bleed I could heal myself instantly and still have time to throw you away from me."

"Man, I'd love to see that," Emmett sighed with a far away look in his eyes.

"We're leaving," Rosalie stated grabbing Emmett and stomping up the stairs.

"But…" Emmett started.

"I said now!"

An uncomfortable silence filled the room before Carlisle spoke, "Hermione I want to assure you that you are most welcome here, in fact the majority of us are very much looking forward to getting to know you."

"Thanks," she whispered, "I've finished unpacking, I hope you don't mind that I've put all my things out."

"Not at all and I'm willing to bet that you'll have a lot of visitors to your room myself included," Carlisle continued.

"I'd be happy to show you," she smiled, "in fact I have a picture that you might quite enjoy."

Carlisle, Esme and Alice followed Hermione up to her room making her wonder where the other two males were but they were soon forgotten as the gasps of delight filled the room. The next couple of hours were filled with questions as they asked about the various things that were dotted around her room and served to make her feel a little bit more welcome than she had been feeling.


End file.
